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‘International carriers have returned around 80 percent of their slots at Thailand’s airports’
The managing director of Airports of Thailand says international carriers have returned around 80 percent of their slots at Thailand’s airports.
Nitinai Sirisamatthakarn says around 80 percent of slots between Oct 31 and March 26 next year have been returned, indicating that airlines are uncertain about any imminent recovery in the aviation sector.
Airport slots are the landing and take-off permissions that airport owners grant to airlines. Thailand’s six international airports – Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai – have all been affected by the move. At Bangkok’s Don Mueang, airlines have relinquished 100 percent of their slots, with 70 percent being returned at Suvarnabhumi.
According to a Thai PBS World report, Nitinai says Thailand’s aviation sector hit its lowest point during the period between July and September this year. This was when the government suspended all regular flights in a bid to get the Covid-19 situation under control. During that period, Nitinai said the six international airports welcomed an average of 50 passengers a day. He added once the restrictions were eased in October, that jumped to 30,000 a day. Nitinai has hopes that the aviation sector will gradually recover in the next two years. AOT has already endured operational losses of about $332 million during the first nine months of 2021.
Meanwhile, things are moving fast towards the Nov 1 reopening which in the last few days swelled from 10 countries being allowed entry to Thailand to 46 countries, three entry plans, replacing the Certificate of Entry, and even an attempt to reopen nightlife.
The requirements are that travellers to the reopening of Thailand must arrive by air and come from a list of “low-risk” countries approved by the Public Health Ministry; have proof of vaccination with two doses of a recognised Covid-19 vaccine; have a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure from your home country; have at least $50,000 in Covid-19 insurance coverage (returning Thai citizens eligible for national health insurance are exempt); have proof of a SHA+, Alternative Quarantine, Organisation Quarantine, or Alternative Hospital Quarantine booking.
Travellers must also download the Mor Chana app and take a second PCR test on arrival or within 24 hours of arrival. If the second test is negative, visitors can continue their journey without any quarantine. Those being allowed into Thailand from Nov 1 are Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, S. Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, the US and Hong Kong.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50959679/international-carriers-have-returned-around-80-percent-of-their-slots-at-thailands-airports/